Child of Releeshahn
by Taffia
Summary: Anna, daughter of Eedrah Ro'Jethhe and Marrim of Averone, finds herself with an odd linking book from another branch of the D'ni/Terahnee race.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: This story comes entirely from my imagination, but all characters and places mentioned (save for Tanya, the M'Jah and R'Kahgeh) are property of Cyan, Ubi-Soft and Presto Studios. 

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter One******

"Come here you," Anna giggled as she chased the squee around.  "I'm through playing games.  If you weren't a gift from my Uncle Atrus, I'd throw you outside to fend for yourself!"  She didn't mean it of course.  The squee was one of her favourite possessions, though it didn't really come from Atrus.  His friend had captured it.  The friend that helped to get rid of Sirrus and Achenar on Myst Island and also save the people of Riven, the fifth Age of Gehn, when it became too unstable for Atrus to fix.  Riven was no more than a few sparks on the linking panel now, but everyone was safe on another Age.

Anna had never met this friend who had caught the squee years ago on the Age of J'Nanin while chasing after the insane Saavedro who had stolen an Age--this Age of Releeshahn--right from under both Atrus' and his friend's noses.  She didn't even know the person's name that had helped her uncle so many times.

Giving up on her pet, Anna set a wooden bowl of berries on the floor and headed over to her bedroom window, sitting down on the window seat.  She loved looking at the vast plains of Releeshahn and the distant mountains beyond, majestic under the azure sky, but what she really wanted to see was the cavern of D'ni.  Atrus was always mentioning it. After all, he'd lived there for a while before writing other Ages to escape to.  He wouldn't let her go there, though.  He rarely even went himself.

"The D'ni have established a new home here," he said once when he came for a visit to the Ro'Jethhe residence.  "There is no need to go there anymore."

"But what about all the books?  The Ages, the _knowledge_ you left behind?" she had argued.

Atrus shook his head with a chuckle.  "We retrieved all the Ages we could and all the books we felt we would need.  I thought your mother told you that."

Defeated, Anna looked down at her hands.  Her mother, Marrim, had indeed told her of all the adventures she'd gone on with Atrus and her friends from their home Age of Averone, adventures that led them to Terahnee, an Age that housed a sister race of the D'ni people.  "I want to see it, though, Atrus," she had replied quietly.  "I want to see everything and learn about everything."

"One day, Anna.  One day you will.  But not yet."

Anna would have accepted that years ago, but now she was fourteen.  She wanted real answers to questions, not excuses.  Drumming her fingers on the stone windowsill, she turned back to the squee, which had come out of hiding to feed on the berries.  "Just wait until Yeesha comes, Boogin," she said using the unoriginal name she'd given the little creature when she had just been old enough to talk.  "Then, we'll go on a grand adventure like Mother and Father did.  We'll get to finally see D'ni and all its wonders."

The squee chirruped in return, its big, dark eyes and grey chipmunk-like body completely occupied with its meal.

Raising an eyebrow and twirling a lock of her abundant brown hair between her fingers, Anna watched the animal, completely unimpressed.  "Some conversationalist you are," she said half angrily and grabbed the squee and stuck it back in its cage.  It immediately scurried to its food dish.  With a sigh and shake of her head the girl left her room and headed for her father's study.  She was bored and needed something--anything--to do.

Lord Eedrah Ro'Jethhe sat at an ornately carved wooden writing desk going over some papers from the Council.  Since the foundation of Releeshahn, Eedrah had been made its governor--a job he enjoyed but carried out humbly.  He looked up when Anna closed the door behind her, not at all softly.

Eedrah smiled. "Plotting not going well?" he asked her, setting his pen back in the ink jar.  He glanced over the papers quickly.  He never had been able to get used to the D'ni script--elegant but so much plainer than that of Terahnee.  Though, since the two writing styles were so similar, it made little difference to the Council.

"Not plotting," Anna replied.  "Just bored."  She plopped down in a cushioned chair on the other side of the desk and snatched a book off a pile there.  "When is Yeesha coming?"  Yeesha was Atrus' and Catherine's daughter, Anna's cousin and best friend.  The two were the same age and well-known throughout the populace for their elaborate pranks.

"She's not," the man replied, not looking up from his paperwork.

"Why not?" the girl persisted as she read through a failed Age taken from the D'ni cavern.

"She's not coming here because you're going there."

Anna's face brightened.  In her whole life, she'd only been to Tomahna once, and she had only been five at the time.  "Really?" she exclaimed.  "That's wonderful!  Can Boogin come along?"

"You'd have to ask Atrus first, but I don't think he'd mind."  He neatened up the sheaf of papers and tied them together with a string.  "You need something to do?  Run these to the Council chamber and give them to Guildmaster Oma."

The girl took the papers with a shrug and left the study, a cheerful bounce in her step.  She would soon be in Tomahna with Yeesha and Aunt Catherine and Uncle Atrus.  And she would be right where the linking book to D'ni was kept.  Compared to that, what did a simple chore matter?

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Messulah held his torch high in the air as he made his way through the perfectly circular tunnels hewn from the rock.  At first, he'd thought them to be lava channels, but, after he'd come upon several stone doors in spherical chambers, he had changed his mind.  _Man created these,_ he thought to himself in wonder.  _But how?_ Few of the books he'd encountered up in the homestead in the cleft said anything about these…though, there had been others.  Books in a script he couldn't even begin to comprehend.  Now and again, he came to a symbol on the wall that he remembered having seen in one of those books.  If only he could understand….

Messulah Darianus had been a nomadic desert trader up until he came upon the cleft homestead in the side of the dormant volcano.  He remembered trading with the woman who had lived there alone for years, but it had been over two decades since anyone had seen her.  Some said that she died.  Others claimed she went down into the volcano, there being rumors of cave systems she and her father discovered years ago.

When Messulah heard of this, he went back to the homestead for a look around to see if he could find out what really happened.  As soon as he reached the cleft, he knew it had been abandoned for some time.  Everything looked as if someone was still there, but when he went inside and saw the garden around the spring he knew that no one was around.  The garden was overgrown with weeds and ivy clung in a tangled mass to the cool, damp walls.

Continuing his exploration, the trader found a closet full of goods that were still in near perfect condition: cloths that would make anyone else in his business drool with envy, herbs of all kinds, trinkets carved of stone and various other materials…enough books to fill a rich man's library.  The ones in the odd, elegant script would bring in a hefty sum indeed if sold to the correct parties.

Rushing back out to the cart that Messulah himself pulled around, having lost his camel while gambling, he grabbed all his belongings and moved into the cleft house then and there.  _Great wealth could be gained from all this,_ he thought greedily.  _And if the rumour about those cave systems is true…there could be gold, precious metals, gems. _ He licked his lips with the thought as he began cleaning up what appeared to have served as the kitchen.

For two years, the man lived in the cleft, leaving only once in a while to trade for things he needed--now and then selling some of the fine cloths and herbs.  Now, as he wandered through the caves and tunnels, we wondered at what exactly he would come upon.  He was following a journal the woman had apparently kept that contained a map to the tunnels--a map that was very vague as to what awaited him at the other end.  Once, he came upon great machines--machines that looked like great beasts that would tear a man to shreds as if he were a frail leaf.  Messulah had been so afraid that he dared not continue through the cavern for quite a long time.

"They must be asleep," he said quietly when the beasts did not move.  He built up his courage and went up to the smaller of the two.  "Great Allah!" he exclaimed.  "It's made of stone!"  Indeed it was.  He flipped through the journal until he came upon a sketch.  There, on the page, was a drawing of the two creatures. 

"Drilling machines?"  He screwed up his face in confusion.  "Man has done this?  They look like no drilling machines that I have seen."  He touched the stone mechanism again.  He then held his torch up higher and wandered over to the second machine, comparing it with the sketch in the journal.  Then, with a sound of slight satisfaction, he continued on.

That had been hours ago.  Now, as he made his way through the tunnels, he could hear the sound of water.  Not the cascade of a waterfall or the roar of the ocean, but the slight lapping sound of a lake on a windy day.  As he walked, the sound magnified until he came to a spot in the tunnel where he thought he saw a yellow glow up ahead.  He ran towards it and gasped at what he saw.  It was a massive cavern filled at the bottom by a glowing lake.  What made the lake glow, he had no idea, but surrounding the water was the largest city he'd ever seen.  A whirring sound could be heard from up above, but when Messulah looked up, his torchlight was consumed by the darkness up there.  _Must be some sort of ventilation, _he thought.  _The air is too fresh for a cavern this deep in the ground._

Looking around him, he saw a small wooden boat tied to a jetty.  He climbed in, loosed the ropes and rowed his way across the lake to the largest and most complete house he saw.  Turning to the journal again, he discovered its name: K'Veer.  What an odd name for a mansion.  What an odd name period.  _This must have been the home of a great civilization once,_ he thought.  _Now, though, it looks abandoned.  Earthquake, no doubt._  He was judging this by the damage done to the buildings.  Many had large cracks running along their stone foundations and walls.  Some had been almost completely flattened, though there were some that seemed, for the most part, unscathed.  K'Veer was one of those places.

He continued to read the journal as he rowed.  According to the woman's entries, this place was called D'ni, home to a people of the same name.  They spoke a language alien to any other on Earth.  Their writing was different as well.  _That must be what the other books are written in._  On following pages, sketches were found of various people with long faces, strange eyes and very fine-boned features.  They seemed as elegant as their method of writing.

The woman went on to explain the D'ni's habit of writing Ages--links to other worlds where they got their food and other necessities that could not be found in a cavern such as this.  Some Ages were written purely for pleasure, however, and it was to these places that Messulah wanted to go.

"These people were as gods," he murmured.  "Able to create and destroy on a whim.  I must learn how this is all accomplished!"  He looked up when his boat bumped into the base of the island K'Veer was situated on, a sly grin on his sun-browned face.  "I will find these so-called Ages and make them mine.  Then, all will bow down before me, Messulah Darianus, and will not dare to mock me."  He received that so much from the other traders because of his bad luck at gambling, but the other traders were not here.  They did not know about the great realm of D'ni.  They didn't know of the immense power that Messulah now had.  He cackled with glee as he climbed the long flight of steps that wound their way up the pillar-like island to the main entrance of the mansion.

All would be his as soon as he mastered this Art the journal spoke of…and there was no one who could stop him.  Everyone that knew of all this was dead--that was obvious.  Messulah threw his head back and shouted as loudly as he could.  "All is mine!"  His maniacal laughter echoed through the empty cavern.


	2. Chapter Two

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter Two**

The Council chamber was situated in the centre of the city that had sprung up on the spot in which the first long houses had been erected. The wooden structures were gone now, and in their place was a collection of sturdy yet attractive stone buildings.  That was the thing with the D'ni.  They had lived amongst stone for so long, they learned to mould it and shape it like an expert potter would clay in record time.

Anna ascended the wide marble steps to the main doors and let herself in.  The guards and Council members were so used to seeing her there alone that they stopped questioning her business long ago.  She passed through the gilded stone doors and walked down a long corridor, the walls of which were painted with murals.  On one side was the story of D'ni from its earliest beginnings to its demise.  On the other was a similar tale of Terahnee…only this one ended with the first celebration on Releeshahn just before Anna had been born. She didn't look at those today, however.  She was too excited about going to Tomahna.

She sauntered up to a door that was easily six times her height--which wasn't much to begin with--and let herself in.  There was a discussion going on, but it didn't seem at all important because, even though she had made enough noise opening and closing the massive door to wake the dead, the men went on talking and laughing like she wasn't there at all.

Anna walked over to where Guildmaster Oma was sitting and gently placed the papers before him.  He turned and nodded his thanks and said, "Do you know when Atrus is coming?" in a low whisper.

She shook her head.  "I've no idea, though I am going to visit Tomahna fairly soon."

Oma smiled.  "Then perhaps you could do a favour for me."  He reached into his guild cloak and pulled out a small book.  It was too small to be a linking or descriptive book, and Anna soon found herself very curious.  "I've been doing a little research in the library with all the books we brought from D'ni, and I've happened upon a rather interesting discovery."  He handed her the book.  "Would you mind giving that to him for me?"

The girl nodded.  "Could I read it, too?"

The man laughed.  "Of course, Anna, of course.  You might find it as interesting as I…though, it is rather puzzling."

"How is that?"

Oma looked at the men seated about the large round table and turned in his high backed chair to face Anna who had knelt on the floor.  "It's an Age…well, for the most part, anyway."

Anna blinked.  "But, it's not big enough."  She looked down at the book she held in her hands.  No, there was definitely not enough substance page-wise.  The thickness of her book was slightly less than the width of her thumb--and it was a Descriptive Book!

"That's what's so puzzling about it.  You see," he turned to the page with the linking panel, "there is the basic formation of the Age, a forest and various water systems, wild life and no people mentioned, but look."  He pointed to a portion of the background as the view swung around again and again.  "There's a village."

"So," Anna said slowly, "someone must have visited and built that."

"Yes, but the creatures living there are not suitable for food and no farms are evident.  How would they expect to live? Yet, somehow, they managed."

"How do you know?"

"Look."

The girl looked at the picture again.  Sure enough, there were people moving about.  "I don't understand.  This doesn't even make any sense."

"Which is why Atrus must see it."

"Oma," a voice said from the other side of the table, "whyever do you speak to the floor?"  It was Master Tamon.

Anna peeked her head over the rim of the stone tabletop and waved to him cheekily.  "I'm fairly certain, Nava, that I am no collection of tiles and flagstones."

Tamon laughed as did some other Council members.  "Indeed, child, I am sorry.  I had no idea you were here."

"Makes me feel loved," Anna said sarcastically with a grin as she stood.  "I'd best be going anyway.  I still have to pack up before I link to Tomahna."

"You're going to visit Atrus?" Tamon asked.

She nodded.

"I see that Guildmaster Oma has given you the odd linking book."

"Yes, he has."  She said simply, holding it up as proof.

"Good.  The sooner we can make sense of that, the better it will be.  It doesn't follow any D'ni procedure that I have ever known.  No people, yet there is civilization."

Anna glanced through the book at that, her brows furrowing together in thought.  The D'ni script was written with an untrained hand.  Either that, or it wasn't really D'ni at all.  Nowadays, that was always a possibility.  Since the Guild of Writers had started up again, people from all the Ages were allowed to learn to Write, their various scripts blending and sometimes marring the elegant D'ni.  But Anna didn't think that was the case here.  

"Is it possible that this was written by another kind of people?" she asked slowly, making her way around the table, her nose still in the book. "Perhaps even more advanced than the D'ni that they could write such an Age with so little?"

"We've yet to meet anyone more advanced than the D'ni."

"On the home world, maybe, but remember Terahnee?  I wasn't there, but from the stories I heard, all their Ages were…simply divine."

"That's because their Descriptive Books restated the same things over and over getting more detailed as they went making them twice as thick and ten times more stable.  No.  This Age cannot be more advanced than any other."

Master Tergahn spoke up then.  "Master Tamon, I honestly think Anna knows what she's saying--just like her namesake.  What if the person who wrote this mysterious Age figured out how to make it detailed and stable without all the excess?  Oma, have you translated it?"

Oma nodded.  "I have, sir.  There is nothing out of the ordinary save for the script, but it could just be the handwriting of the person."

Anna peered at the writing more closely.  "It is partially D'ni…partially Terahnee…partially something else."  A realization hit her.  "Do you think there was another civilization to branch off from the one that the D'ni and Terahnee descended from?  That would explain why they would have the knowledge of Writing Ages."

"And why the script is so similar and rather easy to comprehend," Oma added.

Tamon slapped his hand down on the table in slight victory.  "That settles it."  He turned to Anna.  "I don't care what your father says, I think you need to link to Tomahna and give that book to Atrus as soon as you are able for further examination.  All members in favor?"  He turned back to those seated around the table.  Everyone raised their hands.  "There we have it.  The Council has decided."

"And I'm sure Father will agree," Anna put in.  "I'll get ready to go at once."  She curtsied slightly, pulling her pale blue dress to the side, went out and headed for home.  _I'll try to talk Atrus into letting us go to D'ni for answers.  For some reason, I'm sure he won't object this time._

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Marrim continued to Write.  She had promised herself that she would have this Age done in time for Atrus' and Catherine's anniversary, which was only a month away, and she was still busy designing a breathtaking waterfall.  It was coming along well if only a bit on the slow side.  And when Anna burst into her workroom, she had to do her best not to splatter ink all over the pages.

"Mother, Mother!" she was shouting.  "I need to go to Tomahna right away!"

"Hold it!"  Marrim said, grabbing her daughter firmly around the waist with her arm.  "What's all this?  Why now?"

"Because the Council said I had to!  I need to give this book to Atrus.  It's very important!"

"Let me see."  The woman took the book from her daughter and skimmed through a few of the pages.  "This…can't be right…" she muttered.

"Which is why I'm to take it to Atrus now," Anna explained excitedly.  She told her mother everything that had transpired at the Council chamber, not leaving out the slightest detail.

"I see," Marrim said once her daughter was finished.  "And they trust you with this?"

"Is there a reason why they shouldn't?"

The woman smiled, the fine lines forming around her eyes deepening with the action.  "No."  She kissed Anna on the cheek.  "You'd best tell your father where you're off to and why."

"I already told him.  I'm heading for the linking book now."  She motioned to the pack on her back.  The squee poked its tiny head out of a pocket.  Marrim leaped back in surprise before she started laughing.

"Are you allowed to take that along?"

"Father said Atrus shouldn't mind.  If he does, I can just send it back here."

"And what are you planning to do once you're there?  Besides show him the book, I mean."

Anna shrugged.  "I don't know.  Wander around with Yeesha, I suppose."

Marrim cocked her head and gave her daughter an 'I know you're up to something' look.  "Just keep out of Atrus' Ages.  I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you poking around in them--especially D'ni."

"Why can't I go there?" Anna whined.  "You know I wouldn't do anything wrong!"

"I know that--everyone does.  It's just that…the disease could still be there."

"I thought you cleaned it up."

"The bacteria is tiny, Anna, you know that.  It's what destroyed D'ni and Terahnee soon after.  Atrus doesn't want to risk you getting hurt.  After all, you do have Terahnee blood in you.  More than that of my homeland."

Anna sighed.  "I won't go to D'ni, then, Mother, and I'll be careful."

Marrim smiled and stood from her chair.  "I'll trust you, but I don't want to hear any bad reports."

The girl flashed her mother a toothy grin before rushing off to the family library.  Once there, she ran over to a pedestal and opened the Tomahna linking book and placed her hand on the moving panel.  Within moments, she felt herself being drawn into the page.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Messulah shoved open another door and shone his torch around inside.  It was another study.  There were several just like it that he had encountered here, but none had any books at all in them.  This room he'd had trouble getting into.  It took him most of the morning to clear away the rubble from in front of it, and it proved to be rewarding.  This room had books.  Lots of them, too.  From one wall to another were shelves all covered with dusty tomes full of the knowledge of creating these Ages--so he hoped. 

He looked around for a sconce to place his torch in, but found none.  However, as he headed over for the massive stone writing desk, he bumped what appeared to be a lamp.  All of a sudden, the room was flooded with light from a marble inside the contraption.  Messulah extinguished his torch and took a closer look at the glowing sphere.  It looked to be on fire.  He looked at it from all angles, wondering how such a thing was accomplished.  He reached out and touched it, its smooth surface still cool.

Blinking in surprise, the trader looked around for more.  He found several in a chest on a shelf near the floor and began to disturb them one at a time.  Soon, he had fire marbles of all colours dancing about in the air as he juggled them.  Oh, what a performance that would be if he desired to do so back on the surface! Children would adore him.  Kings would desire his company at celebrations.  But, why bother if he was soon to be a king himself?

He tried everything he could to put out the light of the marbles before finally deciding to douse them with water from his canteen.  Their light vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.  Worried that they might never work again, he took one and shook it.  Its blue light shone forth.  With a nod, he poured some water on it and gently placed it back in the chest with the others.

Brushing his hands off on his dark desert robes, he wandered to the bookshelves.  Pulling out a book, he flipped through it hoping to be able to understand something.  He couldn't.  He returned his attentions back to the woman's journal.  "The D'ni had many books that were used to teach the language," it said.  "The most important being the _Rehevkor__." _

Messulah rubbed at his bearded chin when he noticed there was some more of that calligraphy-like writing next to the word _Rehevkor__._  On a whim, he searched around on the shelf until he found the desired title.  It was a large tome full of the methods of D'ni writing.  _This _was what he'd been searching for. With the aid of the journal and some paper, pen and ink well, he began to teach himself how to Write.


	3. Chapter Three

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter Three**

Anna appeared on the patio of Atrus' grand house on Tomahna.  Plants surrounded her as she looked out at the red, desert-like canyon just a little ways from the house.  Turning, she came to two doors of opaque green glass.  One she knew led to her uncle's study.  The other, she had no idea.  The tried the one that was such a mystery and found it locked.  With a shrug, she headed to the study doors and slowly pushed them open.  There was no one inside.

"Uncle Atrus?" she called.  "Aunt Catherine?  Yeesha?"  When she got no response, she set the mysterious linking book on Atrus' desk and looked around.  She found the linking book to Riven on a stand behind the desk.  Opening it, she saw the flashing yellow sparks that had once been Gehn's finest Age.  _An Age he himself destroyed…slowly._  She closed the cover, not wanting to dwell on those thoughts.  There were other linking books there, though none were very exciting.  Releeshahn was kept under glass with a strong nara padlock both on the vault and the book itself.  The walls were hung with tapestries: one of the decision not to rebuild D'ni and another of the Relyimah rebuilding Terahnee to suit themselves.

Clicking her tongue, Anna began to hunt for the D'ni linking book.  No one was here, so no one would know.  Once, she thought she heard voices outside and froze, but there was nothing.  She continued her search.  The sound came again, and she followed it this time.  It led her right to a linking book with a green leather cover in a drawer in the desk.  It, too, had a nara padlock.

"There must be a key somewhere…" she said aloud as she looked all over and through the desk.  Finally, fastened underneath the desktop in one of the upper drawers, her hand closed around a tiny stone key.  She smiled with satisfaction as it fit perfectly into a slot on the side of the padlock.  She twisted it and heard two welcoming clicks as the lock opened.  She turned to the linking panel and was surprised by what she saw.

There was a man sitting at a writing desk muttering to himself about Writing Ages.  Suddenly, he looked up and fell from his seat.  "Who…who are you?" he stammered, looking back at her in fright.

Anna hit her head.  She'd forgotten that, not only could the person with the book see into the Age, but the people in the Age could see the person holding the book.  She looked back at the man and thought hard about what she should say.  He was speaking the language of Atrus' grandmother, Anna--otherwise known as Ti'ana among the D'ni.  "I'm Anna," she replied in his language.  "Who are you?  What are you doing in D'ni?"

"Ah," he said, a smile on his face.  "So you are not as old as everyone said you were."

"What are you talking about?"                                        

"Your journal.  The journal you wrote about D'ni.  I found it and used it to get here.  You left it in your house in the cleft."

Anna raised an eyebrow and gnawed on her lower lip.  "You found my great-grandmother's journal?  How?"

"Grandmother?  Oh, so then you are not the one…."

"The one?  The one what?"

"The one who knows all about this…this Art the journal speaks of.  The Art of Writing Ages."

"You mean _Regehstoy_?"

"Yes!  Yes, that is what I mean!"  He clapped his hands together a single time and got up from his place on the floor.  "You know it well, yes?"

"As well as the next man…woman…person."

"Ah, then you can come here and help me?"

Anna didn't like the man's expression and tone of voice.  Never before had she felt more uncomfortable than that moment as she stood there, staring into his crafty brown eyes.  "I really shouldn't.  _Regehstoy_ and _Rerehm_ are not for ahrotahntee."

"Ahro-what?"

The girl's face fell.  "You want to learn how to Write and can't even understand simple D'ni expressions?  Ahrotahntee means 'outsiders,' idiot."

"I do not think your manner is appropriate.  I was simply asking for help, not to be insulted."

"If I wanted to insult you I would have cut off your hands.  My grandmother lived where you come from.  Trust me, I know all about the customs."

"Ah, then you know what happens to a person when they do not listen to their superiors?"

Anna drew a finger across her throat casually.  "But, don't think you'll be able to do that to me, my friend.  I'm here…you're there.  And there's no way, unless the Maker demands, that I'm going to link through with you there.  Heh, as if you were my superior…."  She closed the book with a snap, hearing a panicked, "Wait! Wait!" as she did so.

She set the linking book down on the desk and returned the key to its hiding spot.  She would have to tell Atrus about this, and she would have to tell him the full truth.  Though…stretching it a bit never hurt anyone.  She left the study with the muffled sounds of the man shouting for her to open the book and link echoing behind her.

Once she was back out on the patio, she closed the doors to the study and took a seat on the stone bench across from the other set of double doors waiting for someone--anyone--to show up.  She didn't have to wait long.  After a few minutes of swinging her feet and twiddling her thumbs she heard the distinctive _click_ of a latch being lifted, and, suddenly, the doors before her opened, Atrus striding through carrying a book in his hand.

He stopped abruptly with a look of surprise as Anna stood to greet him.  "Where the devil did you come from?" he asked, quickly getting over his shock.  "You weren't supposed to come for another few days."

"I know, Uncle, but the Council sent me early on urgent business."

He motioned for her to follow him into his study.  She obeyed, chewing on her lower lip, hoping to the Maker that the desert man would not start shouting again.

"What business is that," he asked, placing the book he carried on a shelf. "Oh," he said when he looked down at his desk. "What in the Maker's name--"

"It's what I was sent here with.  It's an odd linking book that Guildmaster Oma found among the books brought back from D'ni.  It links to a fully stable Age as far as any can tell, just…there's not much description for what's there.  The writing seems to be a combination of D'ni, Terahnee and something else that no one could name."

"I see that," Atrus replied, leafing through the pages.  "And why is my D'ni linking book on the table?"  His voice held no emotion, but Anna knew that the wrong word choice could land her in big trouble.

"I heard voices," she said.  "I thought it was you and Aunt Catherine at first, but when I listened, it was only one person speaking a language used by ahrotahntee.  I looked around, following the sound, and found the D'ni linking book to be the source.  I found the key to the nara padlock and looked at the linking panel. 

"There was a man there--a man from the desert place Grandmother Anna came from.  He said he'd found her journal in the cleft and used it to get to D'ni.  He wants to learn _Rehgestoy_, Uncle Atrus! And he didn't at all seem like a worthy pupil for anyone."

"You gave him a piece of your mind, didn't you?" Atrus asked with a knowing smile as he picked up the D'ni linking book.

"Perhaps a little," Anna said in a muffled tone, rubbing the back of her neck in slight embarrassment.

"Did he begin to threaten you?"

"I think there was a little of that coming from both sides."

Atrus chuckled.  "Well, then.  I suppose we ought to go and chase him out, but first," he reached up on the shelf beside his desk and took down a small flask of red liquid, "drink this."  He put it in her small hand.

"What is it?" she asked, pulling out the cork and taking a whiff of the fluid.  There was a bitter odour to it, but it otherwise smelled quite sweet.

"It's a vaccine Catherine developed against the bacteria that destroyed nearly two whole civilizations.  I'd like you to take it before we link through…just as an added precaution.  I'm sure the disease wouldn't affect you, considering that we've all built up an immunity, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Understandable," she replied.  She downed the liquid in one go, sputtering and coughing a bit as it burned the back of her throat.

"You alright?"

"Fine," she wheezed.  She gave the vial back to him waving her free hand before her face as if to cool it off.  "That's liable to kill any disease!"

The man laughed.  "That's always a good thing.  Now…I'll leave a note to tell the others where we've gone, though this trip shouldn't take more than a few minutes to an hour.  Then, we'll be off."  He scratched out a brief letter to Catherine on a scrap of paper and set it on the desk.  He then grabbed a small linking book from the shelf and opened the link to D'ni.

"What others?  Catherine and Yeesha?"

"Yes, them and my friend."  Atrus was looking curiously at the man Anna had been talking about, and the man, once he spotted Atrus' form, darted from the room after gathering up all his belongings.

"The friend that helped you on Myst, Riven and J'Nanin?"  Anna's eyes were wide with wonder.

"The same," Atrus replied smiling at her and showing her the link.  "Look.  Your friend decided to run off without even saying hello."

"Should we go after him?"

"I should think so.  The last thing we need is another Sirrus or Achenar running about."  His eyes looked sad at that thought.

"Or Gehn for that matter…" Anna added under her breath, not wanting to increase Atrus' pain.

"Besides," the man continued on a higher note, "I know how badly you've always wanted to see D'ni, so I see no harm in a short visit."

Anna's face lit up like it never had before as she hugged her uncle hard enough to make him cough.  "Oh, thank you!  Thank you!"

He hugged her back and held the panel out for her.  "Care to link through first?"

Her excited expression turned to one of uncertainty.  "Could you? I'd rather not come face to face with that man by myself before you showed up."

Atrus chuckled.  "Of course, of course."  He placed the book on the desk and linked through, his body shimmering and shrinking as it was swiftly sucked into the very page.  As soon as his form was gone, Anna did likewise, biting her lip and closing her eyes, readying herself against the sickening lurch that always came. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter Four**

D'ni.  The fallen city still looked majestic in Anna's eyes as it lay sleeping within the great cavern.  Her mouth gaped open in wonder at the sight of the stone buildings, some fallen, some only damaged, some completely unscathed from the earthquakes that had destroyed so much.  She snapped out of her trance when she heard Atrus laugh.

"You like it?" he asked.

"Like it?  It's the most amazing thing I've ever laid eyes on!"

"Hmm," he said in agreement.  "Though, not as amazing as it once was.  That is why we decided not to rebuild."

"And why you wrote Releeshahn."

Atrus smiled.  "Your parents have told you everything, it seems."

"We'll have to see about that one, Uncle.  Now, we have to find that desert fellow and get him out of here."

"A Prison Age is more appropriate, I should think."

Anna looked back at the man in shock as she made her way down the outcropping they had linked to.  "Isn't it a bit extreme, though?  No one would believe his stories back up on the surface."

"Words, mere words, perhaps…spoken, but not written down.  He took books with him, Anna, and he has the journal still.  That's proof enough for those traders up above--and they can make anyone believe anything."

"I'll have to take your word for it.  You lived up there for a while, not me.  Just," she spun around taking in all her surroundings in one quick sweep, "where do we even start to look?  This place is huge!  He could be anywhere."

Atrus pointed out on the lake.  "He's on the lake.  Look."

Anna looked.  Indeed, the man was rowing as if he were being chased by ghosts from K'Veer's past.

"We'll cut him off at the docks."

"What if he doesn't go that way?"

"He'll very easily get himself lost.  Grandmother put a lot of things in that journal, but, thank the Maker, she didn't bother to map out the city in detail.  He'll know the names of the sectors and of the mansions.  Nothing more.  Also, it takes a good hour or more to row from one side to the other.  We can easily predict where he will land."

Anna threw up her hands in defeat.  "Alright, alright!  I get it.  Let's just get down there and grab him before his slimy hide gets away."

Atrus looked at her sternly.  "Where did you learn such ignorance?"

The girl rubbed her lips together.  "A few of my D'ni friends back home.  They're my age."  She shrugged and continued her trek down the steep rock face.

Atrus clicked his tongue in slight disapproval as he followed his niece.

Once at the docks, the two ducked behind some long-abandoned crates and equipment, watching the man in the boat.  Before long, he bumped into the jetty and began to clamber out, lugging a satchel heavy with books.  Atrus and Anna made their move.  Lunging out from their hiding space, Atrus left Anna to leap on the fellow and knock him flat to the ground, her small stature hiding the immense strength she possessed, as he grabbed up the sack.

"The _Rehevkor_ and _Korokh__ Jimah_!" he cried in shock.  "Where did you find these?"

"I'll tell you nothing!" the man shouted between grunts as Anna thrust her fists upon him.

"Just hold him still, Anna," Atrus said calmly.  "There is no need for violence here.  That is," he stepped right up close to where Messulah's chin met the ground, "unless our new friend decides to try to harm us or run away further."

Anna snatched up her prey's hands and held them tightly behind his back.  Messulah groaned in pain.

"By what are you called?" Atrus asked him.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Anna, bend his elbows back."

The girl looked up at her uncle curiously.  It wasn't like him to be violent or even speak of such things, but she did as she was told.  The ahrotahn howled.

"Alright, I shall tell you!" he squeaked once the girl was through.  "I am Messulah Darianus, and I came here to find out about the old mad woman up in the cleft.  I found her journal and was intrigued by it.  I came only to seek truth in it is all!"

"I was informed by a very good source that you want to learn to Write Ages.  Could I ask why?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Anna."

She nodded and bent his elbows some more.

"Fine!" he screamed.  "I want to learn so that I may have all the power you possess!  It is nothing really!"

"Thirst for power, nothing?  That is where you are wrong, my friend."  Atrus reached into his own pack and pulled out a small linking book.

"What is that?" Messulah asked, temporarily forgetting the devil of a girl on his back and the pain she was inflicting.

"A book linking to all the power, wealth and glory any one man could possibly want," Atrus replied temptingly, turning the book slowly about in the air, looking at it with feigned admiration and pride. "Simply touch the panel, and all will be yours."  He opened the book and an immense treasure room appeared.

Anna gaped at the spinning picture along with Messulah until she remembered what the book really was.  _It's a Prison Age._

The greedy trader laughed and reached out a hand to the page as Anna released him.  In a flash, he was gone, though his shouts of anger could be heard only moments later.

"Shouldn't we destroy the link?" Anna asked Atrus after he had stashed the book away.

"There is no need," he replied.  "Messulah is no threat."  He pulled some papers from the man's satchel.  "You see?"  He showed Anna the illiterate scrawl.

"That's supposed to be D'ni?"

Atrus laughed as he put the papers back.  "He probably can't even write in his own language and script.  Well, shall I show you around?"

The girl beamed and followed her uncle as he told her about every building as they came to it: what it had been, who had lived or worked there, and how old it probably was.

"And that's Kerath's Arch?" she asked as they approached the massive structure.

"None other."

Anna held her head as she looked up with wonder at the great pillars of black granite.  Never before had she seen anything so huge.  "And where is it that you and your father lived for that time?"

"On K'Veer," he said pointing.  "I had been trapped in the room near the very bottom of the island.  It is where many of my Ages came into being before Myst was written."

She saw the pain in his eyes.  "Don't think about it if it bothers you.  There are still more wonders to see…though, I think it's time to get back to Tomahna."

Atrus cocked his head to the side, his anguish forgotten.  "Anna, the one who so desperately wanted to see D'ni is ready to leave?" he said in disbelief.

The girl gave him an odd half smile as she pulled out the linking book that would take them home.  "I have my moments.  We should leave now, though, before I change my mind."  She opened the book, and the two linked through.

Back on Tomahna, Atrus stacked the books Messulah had taken on a shelf and sat down to look at the Age Anna had been sent with.  She was left to wander and poke about.  She opened the linking book to Riven and stared sadly at the flaming sparks that flew across the panel for minutes on end.

"By the Maker," she heard her uncle mutter.  "This is…this is ingenious!"

"What?  What is?" Anna said rushing over and peering over his shoulder with one hand on the back of his chair and the other on the arm.

Atrus moved the book closer to her that they both might see.  "Look here.  This page contains the entire basic description of the Age.  The rest go only into slighter detail, but have a look at this…."  He pointed to a single character at the bottom of the page.  "It's on every page, and gets more detailed along with everything else, except to a much greater degree."

"What does it mean?"

He shook his head.  "I haven't the slightest clue, but it's what is making this Age possible the way it is.  I can tell you that.  Nothing else would hold such a stable Age for so long.  This Age is old, Anna.  Perhaps older than the link to Terahnee in D'ni.  What I want to know is: what is it, and how did it get into D'ni in the first place?"

"We could link there and find out," Anna replied, picking up the Tomahna linking book from its place on the desktop.

"No, it is too dangerous yet.  We know too little about the place."

"Oma researched all that he could.  I'll bet the Council made me bring that in hopes that _someone_ would link through."

"They probably expected it to be you, as well, _prin-bigto__._  And I am very glad that you did not take that risk."

Anna looked solidly at him.  "I had no linking book.  What fool would go to another Age with no linking book back?"

Atrus laughed but did not answer as Catherine burst into the study.

"You've finally decided to come back, have you?" she said scoldingly to Atrus.  "I've been fretting for the past two hours!  It's Yeesha.  I can't find her.  One moment she's helping me in the kitchen, the next, she's gone.  I figured that I may find her here going among your Ages, but I didn't see her at all.  And I've had Tanya checking all the Ages she could."  The woman leaned on the desk, her face mere inches from her husband's.  "Hello, Anna," she said without breaking her steely gaze from Atrus.

Anna waved sheepishly and snatched the odd linking book up innocently from the desk before Catherine had a chance to see it.  No use worrying the woman more because Anna knew exactly where Yeesha had gone.  One of Atrus' linking books to Tomahna--there were only three--was missing from the shelf, and it was not the one she held in her other hand.

"Knowing Yeesha," she spoke up boldly, "she probably went to Releeshahn or something.  Trust me on this one."

Atrus nodded.  "Anna's right, Catherine.  Yeesha would not go anywhere she knew could be dangerous.  She probably went looking for Anna.  After all, the plan for her to come here was not to be put into action until a week from now.  The girl was probably bored, and knowing her culinary skills, a little annoyed with herself."

Catherine nodded and slowly stood gracefully up to her full height, towering over Anna.  "Of course, of course."  She put a hand to her forehead and made her way to the door.  "Anyone for something to eat?  Supper is ready."

Atrus smiled and bolted from his chair.  "Indeed!  I'm famished.  Have you eaten recently, Anna?  I know your time of day is a little off from ours."

She shook her head.  "I ate right before I came.  Though…could I read a bit more?"

Her uncle smiled.  "Of course.  Just don't link anywhere without consulting me first.  However, if Tanya shows up and asks you to come along to wherever, feel free to do so.  She'll keep a good eye on you, I'm sure."

Anna's eyebrows went up.

"It's time you learned more about the Ages," he replied, seeing her confused expression.  "Read about them first, and, later Tanya will show you around.  She knows just as much about them as I."

"I will, Uncle Atrus.  And thank you so much."

He smiled as he pulled the doors closed behind Catherine and himself.

As soon as they were out and their voices no longer audible, Anna grabbed Atrus' pack, stuffed the food from hers and Boogin in there, threw open a random Descriptive Book, hid the new Age under a part of the desk that was close to the floor, shoved her hand on the panel and linked through to the Maker knew where.  _Tanya will find me if something goes wrong,_ she thought.  _After all, she saved Myst, Riven and Releeshahn…why shouldn't she save me and Yeesha?  Not like we'll need saving, of course__._


	5. Chapter Five

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter Five**

Anna found herself standing in a lush meadow that smelled strongly of fragrant wildflowers.  It seemed to stretch on for miles in a colourful carpet across gently sloping hills as she looked around.  _But, _she thought, confused, _there was a village and a forest.  Certainly, no meadow like this._

"Where am I?" she demanded aloud.  "Why is this not what I saw in the Descriptive Book?"

A head popped out of the tall grass.  The black head of a girl that was soon followed by a tall, lank body dressed in typical D'ni attire.  It was Yeesha.  "We're in R'Kahgeh."

"Yeesha!" Anna cried excitedly as she ran and embraced her cousin.  "So, you did come here."

"Were you sent to take me back?"  The girl's big brown eyes were full of defiance.

"Most certainly not!  Partially, I came to find you, but it's not exactly with your father's permission.  Something tells me that that friend of his is going to show up at some point."

"You mean Tanya?  Oh, of course.  My father would never dream of coming after us himself."  She turned away with a sly smile and began to walk off.  "I've been sleeping since I got here," she said changing the subject.  "Something about the flowers.  Don't pick them."

"I wasn't planning on it."  Anna followed her cousin as they walked towards the eastern horizon.  "Where are we going?"

"To find habitation.  The linking panel never lies."       

"It seems to have done just that in this case.  By the way, how do you know the name of this Age?"

"Listen," Yeesha said, pointing up into the open air.  Anna did as she was told.  Soon, on the back of the wind, she could hear _R'Kahgeh_ as if someone had just whispered it in her ear.  "It's a continuous thing," Yeesha went on.  "You just have to be quiet.  Though, it does get annoying after a while."

Muffled shouts began to come from Atrus' pack.  "There's another thing that's annoying," Anna stated with a groan.

"What is it?"

"I grabbed your father's pack thinking it would have everything I'd need.  I got a little more than I wanted.  We'd captured an intruder in D'ni who was trying to teach himself how to Write.  I forgot he was still in here."  She rummaged through the pack for the Prison book and let Boogin scramble up her arm to perch on her shoulder.

"You brought the squee?" the other girl asked, blinking.  "That's right, you never go anywhere without him."  She took the book as Anna handed it to her and opened to the linking panel.  "He's in a treasure chamber," she said with a playful grin.  "How could he possibly be so angry?"  She began to make faces at the raving Messulah.  He shook his fists at her and stomped his feet like an idiot.

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone linking behind them.  The two spun around to come face to face with a young woman in khaki pants and an olive green shirt that came down to her waistline--the sleeves of which only reached just below her elbows.  Her light brown hair fell down to her waist and her feet were contained in the most extraordinary sandals Anna had ever seen.  Their soles were thick--two inches in ahrotahn measurements--and they were woven in a very intriguing pattern that she couldn't even begin to describe.  She held a small sack in her hand that bulged with the shape of linking books.  This had to be Tanya.

"Well," the newcomer said, seemingly shocked, "I must say that I didn't expect to find both of you, but when I saw the open linking book…I knew it's where you had vanished."  She was looking at Anna when she said that.  "Your uncle's worried.  He told you to wait until I got back to link anywhere."

"I'm sorry, Tanya," Anna said looking down at her hands.  "I just…I wanted to see this Age so badly, and I knew Uncle Atrus would never let me--even if I was with you."

"And you," it was Yeesha's turn to be scolded, "What were you thinking disappearing like that without telling anyone?  You could have seriously gotten yourself hurt coming here without knowing what it was."

Yeesha's face reddened.  "Please, Tanya," she said quietly, "we just want to explore this place because no one else will.  Anna was sent with it by the Council on Releeshahn so that someone would discover all they could about it.  My father won't--he sticks to just reading--though doing that isn't enough for this Age."

"There's not enough description," Anna put in.  "And Guildmaster Oma did all the research he could.  Everyone is still in the dark."

"Please don't take us back, not when we have so much exploring to do!"

"This could be another branch of the D'ni race that lives here!"

Tanya smiled and shook her head.  "Oh, you two."  She laughed.  "Very well.  I actually want to learn a little of this place myself, and I believe that Atrus is more than likely going to be permanently in my debt for all that I do for him.  We'll just take this as a little payback."  She walked a short distance across the crest of the hill they were standing on and became so startled that she fell over.  

"Village nothing!"

"What?  What is it?"  The two girls came running over and were in for the surprise themselves.  Beneath them, spread out like one of the mosaic floors in D'ni, was the most glorious city they had ever laid eyes on.  Even Terahnee's fine capital paled in comparison.

Ivory and alabaster spires wound their graceful way up towards the bluest sky.  Roofs of pewter, silver and gold shimmered in the bright sunlight.  Immense statues stood everywhere, carved in the likeness of people that looked very much like the D'ni and Terahnee--the longer faces, finer features…cloaks adorned with symbols like those of the guilds.

Tanya's square face and large blue eyes gaped at the sight.  Never in her life had she expected to see anything like this.  Yeesha and Anna weren't nearly as impressed.  Anna because she had seen many paintings of Terahnee life and Yeesha because she had seen too many wondrous places her father had linked to.  They were used to seeing things like this--not on quite a grand scale, but it fazed them little beyond a few gasps.

"It's like something out of a fairy story," Tanya said in awe.  "It's beautiful."

"You mean you have nothing like this where you come from?" Anna said in disbelief.  There was much Terahnee blood running through her veins, and it showed.

"Of course not, Anna," Yeesha said placidly.  "She comes from the same home-world as the D'ni.  People there are too practical to create such wonders."

"Don't flatter us, Yeesh," Tanya said with a grin. 

"Yeah," Anna said with a playful punch to Yeesha's shoulder.  "So practical they don't even say your whole name."  All three of them laughed as they made their way towards the city.

"Wait," Tanya said, sobering, when they were halfway down the hill.  "What about the disease?  You've both been to D'ni, and so have I.  Remember Terahnee?  We may be immune, but these people--if they're of the D'ni line like we think--we could kill them off in a matter of days."

Without warning and before the two could answer, they were what Tanya later called 'teleported' into a large room that was so luxurious it was stifling to the three travellers.  A tall, slim, attractive woman who appeared to be in her early middle years slowly stood from a low backed, cushioned chair and walked over to them.

"Well," she said in a language that sounded like D'ni and Terahnee with a gaudy accent.  "What have we here?  Intruders who got past our barrier?"  Her voice was low and husky--a seductive kind of tone--though not cruel.  She gave them a sweet smile like a grandmother would as she handed her adoring grandchildren a basket of sweets.

The younger girls were afraid to answer, but Tanya, her twenty-six year old mind apparently used to events such as this, spoke up.  "Where is here?  What barrier?"

The woman turned to the speaker, her long red dress glittering with jewels in the light from a multitude of colourful lamps, her fiery hair glowing with a golden hue.  "Your two companions know where 'here' is," she said.  "We are in R'Kahgeh--the beginning and the end.  The origin of all worlds.  The barrier I spoke of is the meadow full of flowers.  Most who end up there fall asleep for eternity."

"Actually, it was more like half an hour," Yeesha said plainly.

The woman's face displayed confusion.  "You must be of our blood then…but…that is impossible.  You look nothing like us."  Indeed they did not.  Tanya least of all.  Anna had her Terahnee figure and eyes as Yeesha had the same of the D'ni with a little Rivenese mixed in.  The only difference was that Yeesha had no hair on her skin.  "Where do you come from?"

Anna was the first to respond.  "I come from an Age called Releeshahn…my lady.  It was written to give the survivors of D'ni and Terahnee a new place to start over when their civilizations fell due to--" Yeesha elbowed her in the ribs to shut her up.

"D'ni and Terahnee!"  The woman's hands went to her mouth as a happy smile swept across her face.  "So the books did get through!"

"What?"

"Years ago, my people sent linking books of this Age to yours in hopes that we could bring all three branches of the Tree together again.  There is hope yet."

"Hope for what?" Tanya asked.

"Are you from D'ni or Terahnee?"

"I am from the same world as D'ni."  Tanya chose her response wisely. If these people were anywhere near as crafty as the Terahnee had been….

The woman nodded.  "Then you are familiar with my brethren?"

"Very."

The smile reappeared, displaying two rows of perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth.  "They must trust you.  Ahrotahntee are not always respected."

"Tanya is a hero of our people," Anna said.  "She has helped us on many occasions."

"Then she is welcome here.  Come, you must be tired and hungry.  I'll show you a place you can rest.  Forgive me, but we don't keep servants here--we have no need for them.  M'Jah always do things for themselves."

"That's all right.  We don't have servants either."

The woman smiled and led them to another large and stifling room just down a grand hallway from her own.  There were two large beds against one wall across from a fireplace large enough to be another room in itself.  "Dinner is in an hour.  A bell will be sounded for when it is time."  She nodded to them and began to close the door.

"Forgive me, my lady," Tanya called out, "but we don't know by what we are to call you…if we ever have the need."

"My name, you mean?  Oh, how silly of me!  I am Fehrahn Ro'Shir.  You are Tanya…but the other two?"

"I am Anna Ro'Jethhe."

"Yeesha."

Fehrahn bowed gracefully and closed the door.

Once she was gone, Yeesha turned to her cousin angrily.  "Don't _ever_ mention the disease to these people!  If you ask me, I now think we should get out of here before we bring on another apocalypse.  D'ni perished because of it.  Terahnee suffered because it was carried by the survivors in their bodies.  We could just as easily destroy these people the way the others did."

"Yeesha has a point," Tanya said, her chin her hands as she sat on the edge of one of the beds.  "We should leave before we can spread it."

"But these people have some strange power.  Perhaps nothing can harm them?"  Anna's eyes agreed with the notion to go home, but she still had many questions about the place.

"That strange power is what my people call magic, Anna.  Our hostess, Fehrahn Ro'Shir seems to be one of the most adept as well.  Did you see where we are?  We're in the heart of the city--the Grand Palace, if you will.  I have no doubts that we are in the presence of either one of the most powerful nobles or the ruling monarch.  We'd best keep our actions in check."

The two girls nodded, and Anna went through Atrus' pack for something to do.  "Hey!" she cried out.  "Boogin is gone! And the Prison Age!"

"What!" Yeesha screamed.  "How could you lose those?"

"If I remember correctly, you were the one holding the book."

"And you were the one with the squee."

"Girls, girls," Tanya said intervening, "more than likely Fehrahn has them in her room and doesn't realize it.  Or maybe they're still out in the meadow."

"Either way," Yeesha stated flatly, "they're hopelessly lost.  I know Fehrahn seems like a nice person, but…I can't help this feeling that we're living a hidden nightmare--like Terahnee."

"Thank you very much, Yeesha, for raising my spirits," Anna said sardonically as she plopped down next to her cousin.

"Anytime."

Tanya looked out the window.  She couldn't shake the feeling either.  There was something there…something horridly wrong.  But what was it?  Invisible slaves?  A utopia that one unhappy soul could shatter with a breath?  No.  It was something with the magic.  Something that she couldn't place.  She turned back into the room and had to grasp hold of the windowsill behind her to keep from falling over in surprise.

"What is it?" both girls asked in unison.

"The room," Tanya said rubbing at her eyes.  "The room is so…"

"Gorgeous, we know," Anna finished.

"No, no, it's not that at all….  It's…plain.  Everything is coarse wood.  The fireplace is tiny."  She blinked a few times and the beauty was back.  "It's all an illusion.  Go ahead.  Look around if you don't believe me.  Concentrate really hard on what the linking panel looked like."

Yeesha gasped.  "I see, Tanya, I see!  Like I said back there, the linking panel never lies."

Anna noticed, too.  "What do we do then?  These people live in ignorance of what is really around them.  Like Terahnee…."  The last was a hushed whisper.

"Terahnee's elegance was real.  This is all fake--created to please.  You've both seen the linking panel: a forest and village--that's all that was there.  No animals.  No food.  These people live in a dream."

"Literally," Yeesha said.

"We need to tread lightly.  No one must know that we know.  Say what they expect you to say.  Do what they expect you to do.  If they prove worthy of our help, one of us will go back and inform Atrus of everything.  He'd probably have them all move to Releeshahn where they can truly be happy and not have to pretend.  If they don't," she shrugged, "we leave them here to live as they always have--whether we brought the disease or not.  Not everyone dies from it.  There will be enough for them to start over."

"You sound awfully heartless, Tanya."

"I've just learned to accept things as they come, Yeesh.  Learned that from your father.  Though, I think a good rest is in order."

The two girls nodded and crawled into one of the king-sized beds.  Tanya got in the other one, careful to believe that what she saw was really there.


	6. Chapter Six

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter Six**

The dinner bell sounded a little less than an hour later.  The three couldn't help but hear it--and feel it.  The room literally vibrated with the sound.  Tanya bolted from her bed so quickly that she became tangled in the blankets, a squirming heap on the floor.  Anna and Yeesha shrieked and grabbed one another.  After a few minutes, the sound ceased, a droning ring left behind.

"By Yavo," Anna said, trembling, "that is some call to dinner."

"I have to agree," Yeesha said in return.

Tanya struggled from her linen and silk cocoon, and got to her feet.  "We best neaten up a bit and head down.  We don't want to anger our generous hosts already."

"We're leaving…soon, right?" Anna asked.  Apparently, her sense of adventure had vanished as easily and as completely as the Prison Age and Boogin.

Tanya smiled at her as she brushed the girls' hair with an ivory brush that had been sitting on a massive vanity.  "After we get your squee back.  I didn't spend all that time chasing down Saavedro for nothing.  We can't stay any longer than tomorrow night, that's for sure.  And we have to destroy the linking book as we go.  We can't have them following us."

"But they sent the book that Oma found.  They must have a way to get there."

"Not necessarily.  They sent the book, but it appears as if it was only an experiment to see if there were others of your bloodlines.  The books had to have been teleported in a similar manner to the way we had been.  There's no other explanation.  The books came, but people didn't."  She brushed her own hair once she was done with theirs.

"Shall we try to talk to Fehrahn about it?" Yeesha asked shyly.

Tanya shook her head.  "Not directly.  Perhaps a few dropped questions here and there.  They can work magic, but hopefully not read minds."

"People can do that?"  The girls were shocked.

Tanya had to laugh.  "Some like to say they can, though most also claim that magic doesn't exist--that it's all an illusion."

"In this case," Anna waved her hand around to the room, "that's exactly what it is."  She headed for the door then.  "Shall we head down?  I can't wait to eat something."

"Just be careful what you touch," Tanya warned.  "We still don't really know what's real and what isn't.  These people could be eating rotten food for all we know.  Remember to use your eyes and not the thoughts of what you want to be there."

The two younger ones nodded as they made their way down a gargantuan flight of green marble steps into a dining room that reminded Anna of the cavern of D'ni.  It was almost big enough.  The floor was done up in an ornate mosaic of coloured tiles and the walls were a glorious shade of saffron.  Gold adorned everything and sculpted marble pillars held up the ceiling.  Anna and Yeesha thought it grand.  Tanya twisted up her face in disgust, only for a moment.  She saw the inside of a rotted barn, but she didn't say anything.  The illusion she also did not like overly much.  It was too gaudy.

Fehrahn invited them to sit with her at the high table at one end of the room and even served them herself.  As various people walked in, she explained who they were and how important they were to society.  She seemed like the typical hostess in every way.  Gossip was most certainly not something she shied from.

"Just look at Gisha R'Uthon's dress.  Can you believe she would come in such rags?"  She pointed to a young noblewoman who had just sat down wearing an elegant gown of sea green adorned with gold and silver ribbons.  She almost looked like she had come right out of the ocean.

"I beg your pardon, my lady," Anna said, "but compared to us, she looks like a queen."

Fehrahn smiled.  "That is my fault, and I am so sorry.  I forgot to supply you with something.  Here, let me fix that."  She waved her hand and, suddenly, Anna was in a dress of navy blue, Yeesha in one of burgundy, and Tanya in one of hunter green.  All were gloriously beautiful in cut, design and fit and adorned with gems and fine embroidery.  Though, it took the three a short time to actually see what they were now wearing.

"Now," Fehrahn said once everyone was situated, "how is your chamber?"

"Exceptional, my lady," Tanya said politely.  She was seated to the woman's direct left and did not want to anger her in any way.  Anna and Yeesha were on the right side.

"That's always a blessing to hear.  We're never sure how guests will take what we give them.  Some say they've never seen worse chambers in their lives."

"Worse?" Anna said setting her acting skills to work.  "How can things of such beauty be said to be so awful?"

Fehrahn looked at her, a smile on her face but her eyes full of sadness. "I'll tell you another time, my dear."  She concentrated on eating then.

"Tell me, my lady," Tanya said after a time while the second course was being served--she had noticed nothing wrong with the food, "what is your proper title?  Are you the queen here?"

"Queen?  Oh, don't I ever wish," Fehrahn said with a laugh.  "No, I am one of the more…higher standing nobles.  Right under the queen actually.  No, she lives elsewhere--far from anyone.  Some say she died long ago."

"How long is long ago?"

"Five thousand years."

Tanya had to do everything in her power to keep from choking.  Five thousand years!  That was nearly impossible.  Even the longest lived D'ni never got anywhere near that age.  "And how long do your people live generally?"

"Oh, not long.  The longest recorded was six thousand years, I think.  It was my great uncle."

"Oh my," Anna said quietly.  She was just as shocked as Tanya.  Peering to her right at Yeesha she could see that the girl was paying no attention to the conversation whatsoever.  Rather, she was staring out into the mass of guests on the lower level.  "What are you looking at?" the girl whispered.

"What?" Yeesha asked, startled.  "Oh…nothing."

"You were staring at something."

"No I wasn't!  I was just--lost in thought."

Anna gave her the 'you're hiding something from me' look.

Yeesha sighed.  There was no way of keeping anything from Anna.  "If you really must know…."  She pointed quickly out into the crowd.

"Am I supposed to be seeing something that I'm not?"

Yeesha sighed again, exasperated this time.  "Him," she said through her teeth and pointed more forcibly.

Anna saw this time, and she liked it, too.  There, in the direction Yeesha's finger was pointing, sat the most handsome young man she'd ever seen.  His hair was just as dark as Yeesha's, and his skin was a musky shade of tan.  She couldn't get the colour of his eyes from that distance, but they appeared to be dark as well.  He appeared tall and trim.  Women didn't crowd him, though.  "Why is he so undesirable?"

"Who said he was anything of the kind?" Yeesha snapped.

"No one.  It's just that he's not hounded by others of our gender."

"Perhaps they know him too well.  It happens."

"And you want to get to know him?"

"Absolutely."

"Well," Anna said when she heard music starting and saw people flock to the centre of the floor, "here's your big chance.  The dances are starting."  She bit into a pastry and looked at her cousin expectantly.

Yeesha didn't budge from her seat.

"Come on, before you lose him!  Do I have to do everything for you?"  She turned to Fehrahn.  "Who is that young man seated over there?"

The noblewoman looked at the subject in question.  "That," she said matter-of-factly, "is my nephew, Damyen.  He's a bit on the shy side.  Why do you ask?"

"Has he any friends?"

Fehrahn gave a look that proved she was thinking.  "Some.  Oh, look, there's one now.  Thaylan Ro'Garon.  Very nice young man.  Why don't you two introduce yourselves?  You'll need to remain occupied somehow."

Anna didn't wait to be told twice.  She grabbed Yeesha by the hand and dragged her over to where the two young men were.  If she thought Damyen was a dream, Thaylan was better still.   His shoulder-length hair was a golden auburn that was neatly clipped behind his neck with a clasp of engraved silver.  His eyes were a pleasant blue, and his skin was pale but not excessively so.  He was just slightly taller than Damyen with broad shoulders and a slightly more built physique.  She stopped halfway across the floor thinking that even people's faces might be illusions.  Some were, but the two men remained unchanged--save that their rich clothes were actually little more than rags.

The two young men stood and bowed when they saw Anna approach with the reluctant Yeesha behind her.  She curtsied in return and nudged her cousin to do the same.

"You must be the newcomers," Thaylan said, a friendly grin playing at his mouth.  "I'm Thaylan Ro'Garon, and this is my friend Damyen Ro'Shir. You are…?"

"I'm Anna Ro'Jethhe," she replied holding out her hands all prepared for the D'ni greeting, but he took them and kissed each in turn.  She couldn't help a slight blush.  "And this is my cousin, Yeesha, daughter of Atrus."  Thaylan nodded to her as she was introduced.

"Ro'Jethhe.  I've never heard of that household.  Could you enlighten me?"  He took her by the arm and led her to the dance floor.

Looking back, Anna saw Damyen begin to talk to Yeesha.  Inside, she was jumping for joy, outside, she was calm and collected as she answered Thaylan's question as best she could.  "Have you heard of Terahnee, my lord?"

"Terahnee is a legend."

"Then I must be a thing of myth because that is where my father was born and raised.  The Ro'Jethhes were a very respected family.  Good friends to the king there."

"Were?  You speak as if they are no more."  He began to lead her in a jaunty dance as a cheerful melody played from somewhere.

"My father, mother and I are the only ones left.  There was a war in Terahnee not too long ago that killed nearly everyone.  A war carried out by unhappy slaves."

"Slaves.  Terahnee had slaves?  How can this be?"

Anna shrugged sadly.  "It's not one of the higher points that I wish to think about.  My father was a good friend to them--they were called _relyimah_--and when a plague broke out that started the war, he did everything in his power to help.  Along with Atrus."

"Your uncle."

Anna nodded.

"They were successful?"

"The slaves won the war because the plague affected them little.  It was the Terahnee that were almost completely wiped out.  The survivors now live on an Age called Releeshahn with the D'ni, who had a similar history--without the slaves."

"Another people I thought to be legend."

"Yeesha is D'ni."

"Yeesha has also captivated Damyen.  Look at them."  He motioned with his head to where the two now sat side by side, deep in conversation.  Neither appeared shy anymore.  Yeesha was actually laughing at something that Damyen had said, him smiling in return.

Several women were heard screaming at that point.  Something about a creature and, "Kill it! Kill it!"  Anna sucked in her breath and ran in the direction of the din with Thaylan close on her heels.  Once they reached the spot, there was a large circle of quivering women all pointing to a little grey thing on the floor.  Anna got in closer.

"Boogin!" she cried happily.

The little squee, which had been munching on some vegetable, looked up and ran to Anna as she held out her hand.  It scurried up her arm to her shoulder.  She rubbed at the white fur of its belly.

"There's nothing to fear, ladies," she said.  "This little squee couldn't possibly hurt anything."

"What's a squee?" Thaylan asked once things had gone somewhat back to normal a minute or two later.

Anna turned to him, a playful glint in her eyes.  "This, my lord, is a squee."  She motioned to her pet.

"And he is yours?"  He reached out a tentative hand to pet the tiny animal.

She nodded.  "Tanya caught him for me."

"And which one is Tanya?"

"The only one of us that hasn't been introduced.  She's sitting next to Lady Ro'Shir."

"Ah."  He held his palm flat and Boogin hopped onto it.  The young man laughed.

"He likes you," Anna said, smiling.

"Indeed," Thaylan replied as he looked at the girl with a warm look in his azure eyes.  "How long are you staying?" he asked.

Anna sighed.  _A long time,_ she wanted to say.  "Tanya wants to be gone as soon as possible.  She and my Uncle Atrus both say that we could still be carriers of the disease that destroyed two civilizations, and they don't want any others to end up the same way."

Thaylan let out a laugh.  "Nothing can kill these people," he said motioning around.  "Have you seen the food that they serve?  Certainly some of it is truly good, but the other…I won't even touch that subject."

"You see through the illusions, too?" Anna asked, taking back Boogin.

He nodded, running a hand through his thick black hair.  "All can.  Most don't choose to.  Damyen and I, we're looking for the first linking book out of here.  Unfortunately, the Art has been lost to us for some time.  Ever since the Queen sent the books to the Ages of Legend."

"D'ni and Terahnee."

He nodded.  "Though, they aren't quite legend anymore."

"And the book actually got to D'ni.  I'm not sure about Terahnee, though.  That one is doubtful."

"D'ni…that's the cavern, is it not?"

"It is."

Thaylan clapped his hands together and raised his eyes upward.  "Thank the gods!"

Anna blinked in confusion.  "You lost me."

"I've always wanted to see what the world looks like underneath the surface.  There are no caves around here.  None.  Terahnee sounds wonderful but too much like here.  I've always wanted to go to D'ni."

The girl lowered her green eyes to the floor.  "No one lives in D'ni anymore.  They all went to Releeshahn."

"Yes, but the caves still exist?"

"I should expect so; I was only there this morning."  She looked back up at him.  His handsome face was staring at hers in earnest.  "You'd like to come back with us then?" she said, a broad grin on her face.

"More than anything.  If not for D'ni, then…."  He picked up her hands and kissed them again.  "And I'm sure Damyen will want to be with Yeesha."  He nodded in their direction again.

Anna turned back to him, a suspicious look on her face.  "Just how old are you two, anyway?"  With a race that could grow as old as these people could, she had to be careful.

"We are both twenty summers.  Does it really matter?"

"No," she replied with a shake of the head.  "I just…like to know everything about everything."

He smiled, and they began to dance again. 


	7. Chapter Seven

**Child of Releeshahn**

**Chapter Seven**

Messulah howled from within his prison--the prison of gold.  At first, he had been overjoyed to be with such riches, but when he realized he could not get out and that it was only this one tiny room, his anger reached the boiling point.  That girl, Anna, had double-crossed him on more than one occasion.  When he got out of here, her suffering would be worse than his by a thousand-fold.

He wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly he was out, standing in a room of even greater wealth.  Looking back at the book, he saw that a cat had knocked it over, and the poor creature was now in the Prison Age.  He chuckled at his good fortune and took in his surroundings.  It appeared to be a lady's bedchamber, and the sounds of a feast wafted up from downstairs with the delicious smells of food.  His stomach growled incessantly.

"By Allah," he said, rubbing at his noisy abdomen, "I hope they have enough to spare me."  He made his way out the door and down the hall, following his senses.  He came to the head of a large green marble staircase and looked down on the people in the massive dining hall.  They were laughing and enjoying themselves, but he recognized none of them.  Though, he heard one voice that sounded a trifle familiar.

He stepped closer to the banister and saw a sight that made a smirk crawl across his sun-browned unshaven face.  It was the girl, Anna, dancing gaily with a very handsome young man.  She looked happy.  …Though, not for long.

Messulah pulled a long, slim dagger from somewhere in his black robes and silently made his way down the steps and through the crowd.  No one paid him any heed.  Such a thing was typical for him.  He crept silently into the shadows of a large pillar near his quarry and waited.  Waited until she was done dancing when he could strike.

The music soon ended, and Anna was still nearby.  The trader lashed out with blinding speed, grabbing the girl up in a painful headlock.  She cried out and, her dancing partner stared wide-eyed only for a second before he started to come after Messulah in a mad rage.

"Back!" the desert man shouted so all could hear him, his razor sharp dagger at Anna's throat.  Thaylan stopped in his tracks, fear overcoming his anger.  "Back or the girl dies!"  His D'ni was flawless.  The magic was affecting him as it did everyone else.

"What is the meaning of this?" Fehrahn exclaimed coming up next to Thaylan.  Damyen, Yeesha and Tanya were right there with her.  "How dare you intrude upon my household and take one of my guests captive!  You dog! How did you get in here?"

Messulah grinned.  "Why, the girl brought me," he said slyly, nuzzling Anna's slim throat.  "Such a pretty thing, too.  Too bad that she has to die for her crimes."  He gave Thaylan an evil grin, relishing in the torment he was causing.  The other guests kept a safe distance.  They had no idea as to what was going on.

"Get off me, scum," Anna hissed through her teeth.  "You were in a Prison Age."

"Indeed.  Unjustly so.  Fortunately, a fine white cat got me out.  Smart creature.  It's a shame it had to stay there."  He paid no heed to the grey mass of fur that scurried across the floor towards Thaylan.

"Let the child go," Fehrahn demanded.  "She would have done nothing to you without reason.  And from where I'm standing, she should have burned that book after she captured you."

"You know nothing!" Messulah cried.  "You know nothing about her!  She is a stranger!  A stranger!  Ahrotahn!"  He spat the last word out with venom.

Fehrahn's eyes went from violet to crimson faster than one could blink.  Her face was contorted with rage as she raised her hands above her head.  "Fehrrokh ahlath bahgaro!" she shouted up to the ceiling.  There was a slight rumbling and guests moved hurriedly against the walls as a large dragon-like creature crashed through the roof, landing heavily.  Its massive body was covered in glinting ruby-like scales, and its wings of a similar hue were next to translucent.  The rest of its fearsome body was beyond comprehensible description.  It shrieked and pawed the tiled floor before coming up next to Fehrahn.  "Let the girl go, fool, or suffer by Mahnshooth."  She gestured to the beast she had summoned.  "He is not so forgiving as I."

Messulah would not release his grip.  In fact, he only held on tighter.  "Unleash your creature and the girl goes with me," he snarled. 

Anna was afraid at this point.  The man's dagger began to dig into her neck and she felt something wet trickle along her skin.  She couldn't swallow or cry out for fear of making the wound worse.  She looked over at Thaylan and the others helplessly…until she noticed Boogin.  Using her one free hand, she motioned for Thaylan to set him on the floor.  He did so, and the squee looked up at Anna with its tiny head cocked to the side.  She dug into the pocket of her dress and pulled out some dried berries and dropped them onto the floor near Messulah's sandaled foot.  She prayed to the Maker that her plan would work.  She looked back up at Fehrahn as Boogin scampered to the fruit.

The woman's face was a mask of no emotion.  She merely stared with pure, raw hatred at Messulah.  "How dare you think that we would allow such crimes to be committed within my household," she said, her voice dangerously low.  "Release Anna at once.  I assure you, even if Mahnshooth breaths out his poisonous fire, she will remain unscathed."

The trader laughed insanely.  "You cannot think that such a thing is possible!  You'd need _magic_ to do that!"

Tanya whispered something in Fehrahn's ear.  "So," she continued, "you do not believe in magic.  Well," she cracked her knuckles with a grin, "we'll see how long that belief will last.  Guards!"  Instantaneously, hundreds of blue-clad men stormed out from…within the walls.  Anna's eyes opened wide at the sight, but she wished that they would just get this over with.  She was in serious pain.

"Shooth, mahnot!" the army of men shouted once they were situated in fast ranks.  Fehrahn nodded in satisfaction and began to circle a now quaking Messulah like a hawk over its prey.

"Now, where were we?" she asked in feigned sweetness as she folded her hands in front of her scarlet red gown.  "Ah, yes.  Letting the girl go."

"Never!" he responded, a lot braver sounding than he looked.  Suddenly, he let out a yelp and dropped his blade, not before giving Anna an even deeper gash.

As the man hopped around, holding his foot due to the pain of an ugly squee bite, Anna collapsed to the floor, holding her neck and gasping for breath.  Blood ran freely from between her fingers.  Thaylan rushed over and caught her up in his arms.

"Move your hand," he said gently.  "Not all of our powers produce illusions."  As she lowered her bloody hand, he placed his on the wound and closed his eyes.  There was a shimmer of light that, when it left, took the blood and all traces of the gash away with it.

"No!" Messulah cried as he got over the burning pain in his foot.  Squees, those harmless little creatures, could do many things that no one would expect of them.  "This cannot be!  She was to die!  I wanted her to die!"  He rushed at Thaylan, but the young man held up a hand.  The desert man was stopped in mid-stride.

"Perhaps there is something that you did not gather from Lady Ro'Shir," he said loudly as he helped Anna to her feet.  He strode up to the man, towering over him, and gave him a level look.  "Never cross a M'Jah if you value your life," he said darkly, barely audible to anyone save those nearby. 

He looked up at Fehrahn, and she gave him a solemn nod.  Then, he reached out his hands and placed one on Messulah's heart and the other on the man's forehead.

"What are you doing?" the trader asked with a quivering bottom lip.

"Trust me, fool," Thaylan said with an ugly grin.  "You don't want to know."  That was the last thing Messulah ever heard before the darkness consumed him for all time.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

"Tell me more about this Guild of Surveyors," Thaylan said to Anna as he and Damyen and Fehrahn helped them gather up their things.

Anna laughed.  "When we get to Releeshahn, then I can actually _show_ you everything.  It'll make it so much easier."  Since the founding of Releeshahn, the Guilds had re-established themselves in their new home and were doing nicely.  Thaylan, it seemed, loved working with rock and other geological activities as much as Grandfather Aitrus had.  Damyen was considering the Guild of Writers.  Even though they were a little old to start out, Anna and Yeesha were certain that the Masters would be more than happy to take in more Guildsmen.

"Do we have everything?" Tanya asked as she checked through all the packs.  "I think so."  She pulled out the linking book to go home.  "You said you could get your cat out of the Prison book, didn't you, my lady?"

It was Fehrahn's turn to laugh.  "Indeed, indeed, Tanya.  It will be no problem."

"And we'll be sure to talk to my father about letting your people come and live on Releeshahn," Yeesha said happily.  "Imagine, all three branches together for the first time in millennia."

"That's what the books were sent to accomplish…though, no one expected it to be quite like this."  She smiled.

Anna mirrored the woman's expression.  "It may be a while before everyone can link, however.  There is a huge populace here that we have to make ready for."

Fehrahn nodded in understanding.  "That is to be expected.  Just be sure to visit now and again."

"We will," Tanya said.  "Thank you for what you have done for us.  We were expecting hostility, in all honesty."

"From what you've told me over the past few days about all your experiences, I can see where you would come to expect that.  You are very welcome."  She turned to Damyen and Thaylan.  "You two behave yourselves and do everything that is expected of you.  Your fathers will have my head if anything should happen."

"Don't worry, Aunt Fehrahn," Damyen said lightly.  "Thaylan and I have yet to break any rules."

The woman kissed their foreheads.  "You aren't there yet, that's why.  Just keep your wits about you and look after Yeesha and Anna.  I'm counting on you to be the perfect examples of the M'Jah."

"We'll be alright," Thaylan said as he pulled his pack on over a set of rich looking clothes that were real in every essence.  Lady Ro'Shir didn't want them going anywhere looking like paupers.  "Shall we link?" he asked as he and Damyen came over to where the other three women were.

Tanya nodded.  "Hide the linking book for us once we're through, will you, my lady?"

"Of course."

With no time wasted, the five vanished one by one into the page back to Tomahna. 


	8. Epilogue

****

Child of Releeshahn

Epilogue

"And so it had been the origin of all worlds. Also known as Gahrternay to the D'ni, R'Kahgeh, that wondrous place that was less than it seemed, was the very cradle of our civilizations. D'ni was there only because of it, Terahnee as well. The Art and the Skill had been first developed there, and in truth, all three branches of the Tree had their own form of the magic of the M'Jah. Otherwise, the Ages would all not be.

"It has been five years since our adventures there. Many M'Jah have linked here already and settled among the D'ni and Terahnee survivors. Uncle Atrus was more than happy to greet them, Lady Ro'Shir especially. They fit in with the rest of us so well that only their dialect gives them away. Their greatest joy about Releeshahn is that they no longer have to pretend to live in luxury. They can have anything they want right here, solid, real and welcoming.

"Yeesha and Damyen now have their own home here, too, and two beautiful little girls to go with it. Their names are Chehto and Devoka. Very fitting for them. Damyen has earned a place on the Council as has my husband, Thaylan. Both have become honorable Guildmasters these past few years, and I am proud of them.

"Uncle Atrus, too, has come here to live among his people--finally. He and Catherine still go and stay on Tomahna every once in a while, but their permanent residence is here with my parents. Speaking of which, are very proud of their grandson, Jareth who just turned three this spring.

"Tanya went back to the home world for a time before building a house of her own on Releeshahn with the rest of us. She is ahrotahn, but everyone is pleased to have her, the Hero of the D'ni, here with us. Perhaps one day, as it happened with my namesake, she will begin a family with one of our people. I talked to her about it once. She laughed and told me, 'Someday, Anna. Right now I just want to live in peace for a while. Saving civilizations takes a lot out of you.' By letting her live here, Atrus seems to be returning all those favors she did for him…though, I think he'll forever be in her debt. We all will be.

"As I write here, I find myself wondering if our adventures are now over. Have we found all the branches of the Tree? Or are there more than anyone expected? No one is certain, but I will find out. There are more Ages out there that have been written but not visited by anyone here. I plan to find them, and I will learn everything I can about everything."


End file.
